EagleiOnline

Eagleionline can help you find and link up with other BC Law affiliates to set up your next carpool.  The start of the semester is the perfect time to reach out to someone with a…

A hornbook is any commercially distributed intended to succinctly explain to a lay reader complex points of law. The phrase “hornbook” is a colloquial term used to refer to the great variety of study aids available to law students. Hornbooks are commonly used by many law students to help them understand complex and difficult areas in the study of law. Hornbooks are never required reading during a course at BC Law although they may be recommended or encouraged by instructors. You can purchase hornbooks online, at the BC Bookstore, or from other bookstores. There are hornbooks available on virtually every field of law studied at law schools and there are usually many different authors and editions available for any given course.

LESSONS FROM 1L YEAR

Now that the first year of law school has come to a close and, for some of us, the celebratory hangovers have receded, I wanted to take a minute to compose a few “Lessons of Law School” learned by myself and others this year. This is of eminent importance, both as a reminder to ourselves of what to do (or not to do) in the remainder of our years in law school, and hopefully to warn some of the incoming 1Ls about the life portion of law school (lessons and warnings about law school itself are forthcoming).

Welcome! You’re officially a law school student. Boston College is populated by a great number of diverse, interesting, amazing people. Get to know your classmates, appreciate the variety of personalities and experiences you’re exposed to, and enjoy your three years among them – they will go quickly.

That said, there are some things you should know.

As a 1L who came to Boston with no geographic ties to the area, you very quickly realize that you have to make friends – STAT – or you’re going to wither away into a very boring and potentially depressed cat lady/gentleman. Also, all of the talk you’ve heard about law school being like high school? Yeah, it’s true – but secretly, you love it. It allows us all to wallow in our baser instincts to form cliques, gossip to our hearts content, drink like it’s St. Paddy’s all year long, and figure out who we are.

So, I decided before my 1L year ended and I drank away all the impressionable brain cells that I would write a list of things all incoming law students should know.

There are few things worse than getting poor grades as a 1L. Well, actually, there are a lot of things worse than getting poor grades as a 1L, rationally speaking. There are so many problems in our world that haven’t been solved, so much hurt, violence and injustice. What do good grades as a 1L have to do with those these? Do good grades make 1Ls more virtuous? There is little evidence that doing well in law school makes someone a better, or worse, person. One does not need good grades to be, for example, generous or brave. While good grades are sometimes indicative of fortitude or prudence, is it not more important to for 1Ls to wear their kind deeds as medals, their honesty as their class rank?

Word of firm layoffs continues to roll in.  Law students are still reeling from a dearth of job offers this last fall, and an unprecedented August of “cold offers” might not be far behind.  Personally, I don’t think I could handle the psychological trauma of a layoff.  I’m going a different route, and anyone is welcome to join me.